Business people must often undergo different kinds of security training before deployment to a hostile environment. This can be a regulatory and arguably a legal requirement and in any case wholly advisable; it would be reckless to dive head-first into a completely alien environment without practical training.

Training, which the Pilgrims award-winning training team offers, includes hostile environment awareness measures, medical procedures, equipment familiarisation and advice and guidelines for operating in challenging locations.

Such practical training is best applied in tandem with research into both the exact conditions that those deployed may experience, and with the reasons behind those conditions, be they political, social or economic. This allows them to be more aware of their environment and therefore less likely to fall foul of major threats. It also increases their confidence and situational awareness as well as allowing them to get the most out of their deployment.

These information assessments add an extra layer to the training, which might otherwise become too generic for differing locations. Kuwait and the UAE, for example, have broadly similar threat environments. The practical training for these locations would take into account the same threats: road traffic accidents; terrorism; petty crime; and possible social unrest.

The political, social and economic environments, however, are as distinct and different as one would expect from individual sovereign nations. The UAE is known as an investment and financial centre, both for Western governments and for regional powers such as Iran. Within the UAE, Shi’a Islam is the primary religion, with an adherence by over 95% of the population. Farther up the Gulf is Kuwait, with its conversely Sunni majority currently urging political reform; the country also, of course, has a notable history with Iraq. These factors contribute to shaping the unique environments into which people from others countries deploy.

Effective training must incorporate this information in addition to the practical measures, a model which Pilgrims has successfully developed in recent years. This way, people can gain the most from their deployments and stay safe. Understanding the main threats goes a long way to mitigating the associated risks.